


Cheer Spirit!

by lukeisfobaf (polie121900)



Series: Cheer! [1]
Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-25
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-07-18 03:05:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7296970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/polie121900/pseuds/lukeisfobaf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin is super excited for the new cheer season, but her life completely turns around (for better or for worse) when a new coach with a strict set of rules shows up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cheer Spirit!

"Rin!" Hanayo shrieked, leaning against the cold metal lockers to catch her breath. Many people stopped and stared at the heavily breathing girl who had just been quickly running through the hall, desperately looking for her best friend. Looking up, Hanayo's eyes met with a blazing bronze pair. She smiled, recognizing the eyes immediately.

"Rin..." She exhaled, still unable to catch her breath. Rin stood before her, still wearing her white running shorts and loose fitting blue and yellow sweatshirt. Her orange tank top clung to her skin. Her ginger hair was clipped out of her face with two white pins, allowing her to properly see.

"Kayo-chin, what's wrong?" She asked innocently, tilting her head slightly to the side. Hanson's cheeks turned light pink, her cheeks burning.

"Ch-cheer..." She stuttered out, unable to catch her breath. "New coaches, tryout moved... to today..."

"WHAT?!" Rin exclaimed, sprinting over to Hanayo's side. Her eyes flew wide open, her mouth slightly agape. "Are you sure?" Hanayo nodded, unable to look her best friend in the eye. Rin's face lit up, a huge grin appearing on her face. Throwing her arms around Hanayo, she squeezed the smaller girl tightly. "Thank you so much for telling me!" She exclaimed, her face resting on the other girls shoulder. "Oh Kayo-chin, you're the best!"

As soon as she finished her sentence, she took off, her goodbye lost to the wind. With each step she took, she ran faster and faster, outpacing even the fastest of football players. It didn't take her long to reach the football field. Upon noticing the rest of the girls cheerfully sitting on the track and stretching out, a toothy grin stretched out onto her face. 

With a triumphant "nya!", Rin took off towards them. Her grin grew with each bound she took. She was so excited for everything: meeting the new girls, meeting the new coaches, getting ready for the next season.... 

As soon as she passed the gates, she was immediately stopped by an older student, presumably a junior. Her dark hair was done up in a tight ponytail, and she wore a red tank top with dark shorts. Her face wore a cold frown, her eyebrows turned down at a huge angle. "What are you doing here?" Her words came out harsh and intimidating.

Rin's eyes were wide and glossy with pure innocence as she looked up at the older girl. "I'm here for cheer tryouts..." She said, not backing down from the girls implied challenge. "This is where they're at, right?" 

"Not for you they're not." The older girl sneered. A few older girls behind her giggled, watching the pair at the gate. The coach stood to the side, silently watching the exchange. 

"Umm, why?" Rin asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. "Is this not the varsity cheer squad tryouts?"

The older girl rolled her eyes, causing the other girls to laugh again. "Clearly, you're too thick to understand what I'm saying, so let me say it a bit clearer, okay sweetie?" She said, her tone quickly turning very condescending. She pursed her lips, squinting slightly. "You're not welcome here. Go home, kid." 

"B-but!" Rin stuttered, her cheeks starting to burn. "I'm a sophomore! I was on this squad last year!" Her words all stumbled out at once, tears threatening to spill. Her voice shook. "Why am I all of a sudden not welcome?"

A different voice sounded behind her, making Rin lean to see the girl standing behind the first. A nasty smirk was painted on her lips. "New coach, new rules, little one." She said, not bothering to look Rin in the eye. 

Her lower lip shook, her voice shaking even more. "What new rule am I breaking?" She asked, her entire body quivering slightly. "Please, just tell me what it is so I can fix it." 

"It's nothing you can fix."

Rin's head shot up, staring directly at the source of the sound. It was the new coach, leaning up against the brick wall. She was the only person here with her hair down, the thick brown locks falling past her shoulders. Rather than look at Rin, she stared directly down at her phone, her face blank. "Sorry?" Rin asked, taking a step forward. She tentatively outstretched her arm, gently curling her fingers out towards the coach before pulling her arm back to her side. "What... What can't I fix?" 

"Your hair." 

Rin's heart stopped, her legs frozen in place. Her eyes were wide, her mouth was wide open. She felt as if she couldn't breath, as if someone had popped a balloon in her chest and damaged her heart and lungs. "M-my hair?" She whispered, her entire body shaking. 

The coach nodded, finally looking up to make eye contact with the younger girl. "Your hair is too short. The new rules state that if a girl wishes to participate on the team, her hair must be to her shoulders or below. As you do not fit this description, you are not welcome here." 

The first girl smirked. "Go home, kid." 

Rin bit her lip, nodding. "Y-yes ma'am." She spoke, her voice cracking. She could hear a few girls giggling in the background, but she tried her best to ignore them. To no avail.

Taking a deep breath, she turned around towards the road. The buses had already left, but her house wasn't far from here. She slowly walked for a few moments, only until she was completely out of those girls sight. As soon as she was sure the other girls couldn't see her, she turned tail and ran. 

She managed not to cry all the way home. The run was two miles, so she focused all of her energy on running rather than her feelings. The longer she ignored them, the better.

When she arrived home, she ran straight to her room, forgetting to leave her shoes at the door. Her mom wasn't home to scold her, so what did it matter? 

Immediately upon entering her dark room, she threw her school bag onto the ground, throwing herself onto her bed. As soon as she hit the pillow, she began to sob. All of her emotions flooded out, soaking her new pillowcase. Her cheeks were itchy. She could feel her eyes becoming blotchy and red. Her nose was starting to run, but she didn't care. She ignored the wet stain appearing on her pillowcase and the salty taste she felt on her tongue. She simply continued to cry, sobbing straight into her pillow.

Suddenly, there was a knock at her door. Rin immediately stopped crying, pulling herself into a sitting position. "Mom?" She croaked, her voice hoarse.

"Um, actually.. it's Hanayo.." A soft voice came from the other side of the door. Rin could recognize that voice anywhere. She could hear the other girls heavy breathing even from across the room. 

_She must have ran to get here..._ Rin thought. "Um, come in." She spoke, sniffling slightly. 

The door opened slowly, allowing Hanayo to pop her head in before her body came in. "Hey, I was just-" She stopped short, staring at Rin's pale, splotchy face and her tear stained pillow. "Wait, Rin... have you been crying?" As Rin shook her head no, Hanayo rushed to her side, dropping down on the bed next to her. Looking her right in the eye, she immediately asked, "Oh god, Rin, what happened? Are you okay?" 

Looking away, Rin stuttered, "I... I'm fine. Nothing's wrong with me, everything's fine." 

Hanayo's face shifted to a much more concerned expression, her eyes becoming glossy. "Rin.." She murmured, gently laying her hand on Rin's own. "Please, I'm really worried. Please tell me what's wrong..."

Rin turned back to Hanayo, staring at her with a pained look. Her lower lip quivered as if the tears were about to come back. She stayed silent, unable to speak for fear of crying in front of her best friend. 

Biting her lip, Hanayo spoke again. "Rin, Maki said she saw you running home earlier, running away from the football field." She leaned in closer. "What happened?" 

A tear slipped down Rin's face, burning her already flaming cheeks. "The... the new cheer coach.."

"Yeah?" 

"She told me..." 

"Yeah?"

"She told me my hair's too short for me to be on the team." 

Hanayo gasped, pulling away slightly. "What?" She exclaimed, her eyes wide. "There's no way she can do that to you!" Her mouth hung slightly agape, her gentle brown eyes turning an angry shade of copper.

Rin sniffles again. "She just did." 

Hanayo leaned back into Rin, her short brown hair tickling Rin's nose. "Oh god, Rin, I'm so sorry." She murmured, gently wrapping her arms around her best friends shaking figure. She leaned her chin on the top of Rin's head, closing her eyes. Rin let her body collapse into Hanayo's chest, burying her face in Hanayo's shoulder. 

Pulling her arms closer, Rin began to sob again, letting all of her emotions free. "I just can't believe I'm not going to be a cheerleader this year!" She cried, her sounds partially muffled by Hanayo's soft cardigan. "They can't just take cheer away from me, that's the one thing I care about the most!" 

Hanayo patted Rin's head, running her fingers through Rin's beautiful ginger locks. As she used the other hand to gently rub Rin's back, she murmured, "It's okay, just let it all out..." 

"I hate my stupid hair!!!" Rin screamed, purposely muffling the sound in Hanayo's clothing as to not disturb the neighbors. Pulling away from Hanayo, Rin began to violently pull at her hair, attempting to rip it longer. "Grow faster, grow faster!" She cried, pulling harder at her hair. "Its my stupid hairs fault I'm not in cheer, I hate it I hate it I hate it!! God, why won't it just grow!" Her voice cracked, forcing her voice down to a murmur. "Grow faster.." She spoke, her voice weak and shallow. Sinking back into Hanayo's chest, Rin began to cry again, her salty tears beginning to stain Hanayo's cardigan.

Again, Hanayo gently ran her fingers through Rin's hair, giving her reassuring pats. "I'm sorry your hair won't grow faster..." She murmured, placing a gentle kiss on the top of Rin's head. "But pulling it out won't help at all." 

Rin stayed silent, simply crying into Hanayo. "It's that terrible coaches fault for making such a stupid rule, not yours, so don't beat yourself up because of it, okay?" Hanayo spoke again, still running her fingers through Rin's hair. Her voice was soft and reassuring. Rin could listen to it all day. "And hey, for the record, I really love your hair." 

Rin pulled away slightly, just enough to see Hanayo's gentle smile. Her arms still were wrapped around Hanayo's waist, and Hanayo still had one hand on her back. Rin sniffled, staring up at her best friend with a pained expression. "H-Hanayo.." She stuttered. 

Hanayo pressed a gentle kiss onto Rin's forehead, her soft lips barely touching Rin's cold skin. "I love you, Rin. I know you can get through this." 

Rin's cheeks heated up, turning a deep red. Her ears burned. "Kayo-chin..." She murmured, staring directly into the other girls eyes. "I..."

Suddenly, Hanayo leaned forward, gently placing a soft kiss on Rin's lips. Her lips were warm, and her kiss was sweet. Rin could smell Hanayo's strawberry shampoo, and she couldn't help but smile. Though surprised, she didn't lean away, instead, kissing right back. 

As soon as the two broke apart, Hanayo smiled a smile Rin had never seen before. It was so genuine, her cheeks lit up a bright pink. "I mean it." She murmured, refusing to break eye contact with the other girl. "We'll find a way to get through this, okay?" She gently squeezed Rin's hand, letting her smile grow slightly. 

Rin nodded. 

Hanayo's smile lit up. "Great!" She exclaimed, standing up without letting go of Rin's hand. "Come on, let's go get you all cleaned up, okay?" Rin nodded, silently following Hanayo. The younger girl lead to the bathroom silently as well, refusing to let go of Rin's hand. The only audible sound was their breathing.

"Hey Hanayo?" Rin asked, stopping.

Hanayo turned around, a soft look on her face. Her smile was gone, replaced with an innocent but gentle curiosity."Yeah?" She replied, meeting Rin's eyes. 

"I love you too."

A huge smile appeared on Hanayo's face, the corners of her lips quickly turning up in the corners. Her eyes lit up like a golden lantern. Giggling, Hanayo leaned forward, pulling Rin into another kiss. "Thank goodness." She whispered before kissing Rin again. 

Maybe Rin didn't need to be in cheer after all.


End file.
